Cincinnati Bengals caught in the dark by report of Marvin Lewis' decision to leave team

MINNEAPOLIS - The Enquirer learned the heart of the Cincinnati Bengals organization, including coaches, key front office personnel – and ownership – found out along with the rest of the nation that head coach Marvin Lewis had decided not to enter contract negotiations to coach the team in 2018 on Sunday afternoon.

ESPN first reported Lewis’ decision to walk away from the Bengals, citing league sources, as the team buses headed to U.S. Bank Stadium for their 1 p.m. ET kick against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Bengals offered no comment on the report.

After a 34-7 loss to the Vikings to clinch just the fifth losing season in his 15-year tenure, but second in a row, Lewis was asked if the report was accurate.

“No,” he said. “It’s the same report you’ve been reporting on all season. There’s nothing changed since August. It’s just the speculation that people keep throwing out there. We’re all wasting time talking about that.”

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The Enquirer learned there had been no recent conversations between Lewis and Bengals ownership about his future, and the feeling among many was Lewis was focused on the Vikings and willing to wait until after the season finale on Dec. 31 in Baltimore to discuss his future with Bengals owner and president Mike Brown.

That has been how Lewis and Brown have always determined his status for the following season.

Lewis said he has not made up his mind regarding his future with the Bengals and when asked again if he would call any reports stating otherwise inaccurate, Lewis said:

 “Yeah. Yes.”

Lewis said he did not see the report on his way to the stadium, but many of his players, coaches, Bengals support staff and ownership did.

“We’re wasting time,” Lewis said. “That’s all. And it affects people around you which is unfortunate. I understand that’s what drives media. But people just throw things out; they throw things out Monday night and everybody has to respond and everybody has to be first and they don’t care if they’re accurate necessarily. They want to be first.”

Lewis briefly addressed the matter with his team postgame, but the message was about not letting outside reports affect their play on the field.  

Lewis and the Bengals did not come to terms on a contract extension in the offseason, leaving him without a contract beyond the season for the first time since 2010. After that season in which the Bengals went 4-12 that year, the worst mark in Lewis' 15-year tenure, both parties agreed he would stay on. The franchise changed course offensively, however, moving on from quarterback Carson Palmer, receivers Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens and offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski and drafting Andy Dalton and A.J. Green while hiring Jay Gruden to call plays.

Sources familiar with Lewis' thinking have told The Enquirer he remains interested in coaching in 2018 and does not plan to retire. ESPN reported he would be interested in a front office position if another opportunity to coach did not materialize.

Late Sunday, Bengals players waved off the idea that this news would affect their play but Lewis and the Bengals brain trust might have to accelerate their normal process for determining his future and find out exactly what direction each party wants to head into 2018.

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